Southwick lake
laws proposed
By HOPE E. TREMBLAY
Staff writer
SOUTHWICK – A new set of lake bylaws was proposed to the Southwick Select Board this week. However, Selectman Arthur Pinnel will not approve them until one specific section is removed.
The section in question pertains to the violation of regulations, which the board said is redundant.
“The code book already has a system for violation of bylaws and regulations,” said Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart,
Pinnel told the Southwick Select Board earlier this week that he has told Lake Management Director Richard Grannells about his concern with that item.
“If he wants to take that out, I’ll vote for it,” said Pinnel.
Board members Fred Arnold and Russ Fox both deferred to Pinnel’s judgment on the matter because they agreed to have Pinnel review the bylaws for the group.
“We’re for 95 percent of it, if he changes that, we’re 100 percent behind it,” said Arnold.
Stinehart agreed to talk to Grannells and stress that the board will not approve the proposed bylaws as submitted.
Grannells said the issue is not controversial.
“We put it in because we consolidated the previous bylaws and it was there,” said Grannells, who added that removing the section was not a problem.
The recommended bylaw changes and/or additions are the culmination of extensive work by the Lake Management Committee and Harbormaster, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers. Grannells said the existing bylaws are in several sections and much of it is outdated and no longer relevant. One entire existing section, 205, will be wiped out if the new bylaws are approved.
“The plan is to make 205 disappear,” said Grannells. “It is from 1949. A lot of the language is for things that just don’t exist.”
Grannells said by consolidating the bylaws, they are easier to read and enforce. He said he hopes that once the Select Board approves them, the town will also give its stamp of approval.
“I’m hoping to get them approved at the spring town meeting, or if there is a special town meeting before that,” said Grannells.
The bylaws address boats and recreational vehicles, boats and boating, and lake safety. Much of the updates are under lake safety, including a sub-section to address the maximum hole in ice of 10 inches, addresses the real safety issue caused by large holes being cut in the ice with a chainsaw.
Sub-section M was added to address a growing problem with extremely large boats being launched at the State Boat Ramps. Some of these large vessels are as long as 32 feet and have cabins, heads, galleys, etc, which are appropriate for the river, ocean, sound or coastal waterways, but not the narrow, shallow, crowded waters of Lake Congamond. Their large wakes cause shoreline damage and damage to moored vessels and even the launch facilities were not designed to handle vessels larger than 26 feet in length.
Grannells said the proposed bylaws address modern usage of the lakes.
Hope E. Tremblay can be reached at [email protected]
